|
|
Friday, March 18, 2005
The True Purpose of Science.
Some others out there in the blogosphere have had a difficult time understanding this post. They seem to believe that there are some incompatibilities between Torah and science that must be reconciled through the modification or reinterpretation of one or the other. The problem is that they do not understand the true purpose of science...
If there is one thing I learned from Isaac Asimov, it is that it is inappropriate to classify a scientific theory as “right” or “wrong”. Aristotalian physics was the prevailing theory for almost 2 millenia because it explained much about the world which one could observe. Newton’s theory came along and replaced Aristotle’s because it was more useful in that it explained a greater number of natural phenomena. As technology improved our ability to measure, it became apparent that some phenomena could not be explained by Newton’s theory and Einstein’s theory came to replace it. Now it turns out that there are these problems with quantum physics and special relativity, so we are looking for something else. To refer to Newton or Aristotle or Einstein as "wrong" is to miss the point. Contrary to what many believe, the purpose of science is not to uncover truth about the world for if that were so, we would be required to disbelieve them all as all theories are eventually replaced by more useful ones. Rather, science endeavors to provide useful explanations of the world around us. An interesting example of this is that most schools still teach Newtonian physics. They do this because even though Einstein’s theory superseded it, Newton’s theory is much more convenient for describing everyday phenomena in a straightforward manner.
Torah, on the other hand, does purport to reveal truth about the world. The Torah is emes, but emes does not need to be useful. And, while everything in it is true, it is not necessarily straightforward. That is OK, for to treat the Torah as a book of science would be a misapplication. To look to the Torah to learn how to build an airplane would be foolish; to look to science for ultimate truth would be equally so.
Contrary to what you said, Aristotle was wrong by any measure but Newton and Einstein are right.
: 7:50 AM In any case, how can you say that Newton and Einstein are both right when they have conflicting views? My view allows for this but yours does not.
You say that "Newtonian physics provides an excellent model of our everyday experiences". I agree, but if utility is not your metric, then why does this matter?
And finally, Aristotle was not "wrong by any measure". By the measure of his time, he was right...that is, his view explained things about our world, such as why solids fall and gases rise. I think it was a pretty darn good theory for its time.
Baruch, I think you are jumping the gun when you suggest that the conflict is completely illusory. I think it's good to first acknowledge that sometimes, the Torah *seems* to make very concrete claims about the physical world that is inconsistent from ones that scientists *generally agree on these days*.
Once we acknowledge that the *apparent* conflict exists, then it makes sense for your post to jump in and say that one (but not necessarily the only) way out of this conlict is to differentiate between the ultimate epistemological goals of science and Torah.
btw, I liked your previous post.
: 11:35 PM I agree with everything you said. Since you read blots, though, I'm sure you know that everyone has already acknowledged that the *apparent* conflict exists. I didn't see the need to rehash what everyone else already has said ad nauseum.
Thanks for saying you liked my post. You're probably the only one who has liked anything I have ever written, which puts you in a very elite club.
: 8:47 AM << Home
